1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the technical field of rigid or semi-rigid packaging for cosmetic or pharmaceutical products.
More particularly, the invention relates to a system intended to generate visual expressions on a plurality of packagings on the basis of information provided by an outside creator, comprising a master station, a remote server, a plurality of intermediate communications devices and a plurality of packagings wherein each packaging includes a container intended for substantially hermetically receiving some contents in a fluid state and for a cosmetic or pharmaceutical use, with the container comprising an outer and peripheral wall having a face visible from the outside of the container and delimiting an enclosure able to substantially hermetically receive the contents in the fluid state, an opening arranged in the outer and peripheral wall to deliver the contents in the fluid state, and removable means for closing the opening. The packaging also comprises, integrated in the container and without physical, chemical or electronic contact with the content, telecommunication means able to receive at least one electronic instruction signal, control means able to emit a plurality of control signals, dependent on the electronic instruction signal received by the telecommunication means, visual means able to express a plurality of visual structures in response to the plurality of control signals established by the control means and arranged outside the enclosure delimited by the wall of the container so as to express the plurality of visual structures through the visible face of such wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries attach much importance to the visual effects generated by the packagings since such visual effects affect customers. A certain number of attractive visual effects are thus frequently provided on the containers intended to receive cosmetic or pharmaceutical products.
Providing such visual effects consists, in certain cases, in manufacturing containers including a transparent or translucent hollow body, so that the product contained inside such hollow body can be seen. The aim of the packaging is thus to highlight the packaged product. In other cases, the containers may be submitted to decoration operations which consist, for instance, in drawing superficial patterns on the inner or outer face of the hollow body, in order to improve the visual appearance of such containers and associate therewith a picture or a brand, or even an advertising text.
However, such operations have a drawback in that they provide only a static visual effect, i.e. an effect offering no possible evolution over time. Then, if the visual aspect may be nice, it is no surprise to the user and thus very quickly becomes monotonous.
In other cases, still, it can be considered to integrate one or several light source(s) in the packaging so as to generate an original and attractive light visual effect, when the user actuates the opening button delivering the product contained in the packaging. This is the aim of document FR-A-2 908 502 which describes a packaging comprising a bottle, at least one light source, and means for automatically lighting such light source making it possible to actuate the emission of a light ray toward the inside of the bottle walls when the user actuates the push button delivering the cosmetic or pharmaceutical product contained in the bottle.
Such embodiment makes it possible to change the visual appearance of the packaging by a positive action by the user but also has several drawbacks. As a matter of fact, monotony, as mentioned above, is only partially eliminated since the change in the visual effect is generally limited to the passage from a first state to a second state and is generated by the user's action only. The evolution from a first state to a second state is thus no surprise to the user. The result is that such light effects depend on the user's action, that they may not evolve depending on parameters independent of the user, and that they cannot have irregular or surprising properties.
In another respect, several containers are known in the prior art, the visual and/or sound appearance of which may vary depending on actuation signal produced from a remote server.
In particular, document US-A-2006/0231109 describes a portable bottle having a peripheral wall, a printed circuit arranged against the inner face of the peripheral wall and a display screen embedded in a cut-out formed in such peripheral wall. The printed circuit has electronic components making it possible to communicate, by short-distance radio transmission with a wireless device or network, or by long-distance radio transmission with a remote server. Data downloaded from the remote server may be used for displaying on the screen any information or advertisement provided by the manufacturer and placed at the public's disposal from a website. This operation makes it possible to produce a promotional or informative display liable to evolve over time, depending on the manufacturer's will.
However, this method has several disadvantages. In the first place, using electronic components enabling to communicate with a remote server requires having a large space inside the portable bottle, which generates serious problems as regards overall dimensions and possibly weight. On the other hand, integrating electronic components, a printed circuit and the display screen against the inner face of the peripheral wall and in the vicinity of the visible face of such peripheral wall causes serious manufacturing problems since the latter must be hermetically separated from the bottle contents, which involves increases in the production costs and gives an insufficient strength when the product contained in the packaging is too aggressive. This is more particularly true in the cosmetic or pharmaceutical fields where the products might damage such elements. In addition, using a display screen makes it possible to supply complete information in a text, but produces no attractive or surprising visual effect on a large region of the container walls. The visual rendering is thus particularly limited and not appropriate for luxury products.
Document US-A-2006/0219858 describes a container-holder intended to receive various types of containers for beverages and comprising a mechanism aiming at producing a sound or a visual effect upon instruction from a radio receiver able to communicate with a remote control. The document thus describes, on the one hand, the presence of a radio receiver inside the container-holder and, on the other hand, the actuation of the mechanism aiming at producing a sound or a visual effect on the instruction from the remote control.
Consequently, if the radio receiver makes it possible to receive an actuation signal from a remote control for generating sound or visual effects, the system provided in this document does not allow a distant outside creator to transmit, via a remote network, instructions relative to these sound or visual effects.
Document US-A-2003/0063460 which describes a container such as a shampoo bottle comprising one or several light source(s) independently encapsulated inside the enclosure delimited by the peripheral wall of the container is also known in the prior art. Such light sources each integrate a supply source and electronic circuits enabling these to light up upon receiving a control signal transmitted by radio waves, in order to generate a decorative effect perceptible from the outside of the container.
However, this embodiment is not satisfactory since it does not produce a quality visual effect because light is diffused in the product contained in the container. On the other hand, the visual effect is badly controlled since the positioning of the light source inside the container is badly controlled.
A means composed of a group of lights intended to cause a visual effect and liable to be positioned more particularly in a perfume container is additionally known from document WO-A2-2004/023850. According to one embodiment, such means composed of a group of lights may operate within a computer-controlled network of other lights.
Such embodiment however entails problems similar to those mentioned above since neither the issue of overall dimensions nor that of strength are solved. As a matter of fact, in this case, the means composed of a group of lights are directly positioned inside the enclosure formed by the packaging and are thus directly in contact with the contents.